Sustainable remediation of chromium-contaminated soils: boosting radish growth with deashed biochar and strigolactone.

Chromium (Cr) stress significantly hinders crop production by disrupting nutrient uptake, impairing plant growth, and contaminating soil, posing a substantial threat to agricultural sustainability. The use of deashed biochar (DAB) and strigolactone can be an effective solution to mitigate this issue. Deashed biochar enhances crop production by improving soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability while mitigating the bioavailability of toxic substances. Strigolactone boosts plant growth by stimulating root growth, branching, shoot formation, and overall plant physiology. Nevertheless, the scientific rationale behind their collective use as an amendment to counter Cr stress remains to be substantiated. Therefore, in this study, a blend of DAB and strigolactone was employed as additives in radish cultivation, both in the absence of Cr stress and under the influence of 200Cr stress. Four treatments, i.e., 0, 20µM Strigolactone, DAB, and 20µM Strigolactone + DAB, were applied in four replications following a completely randomized design. Results demonstrate that 20µM Strigolactone + DAB produced significant improvement in radish shoot length (27.29%), root length (45.60%), plant fresh weight (33.25%), and plant dry weight (78.91%), compared to the control under Cr stress. Significant enrichment in radish chlorophyll a (20.41%), chlorophyll b (58.53%), and total chlorophyll (31.54%) over the control under Cr stress, prove the efficacy of 20µM Strigolactone + DAB treatment. In conclusion, 20µM Strigolactone + DAB is the recommended amendment for mitigating Cr stress in radish. Farmers should consider using Strigolactone + DAB amendments to combat Cr stress and enhance radish growth, contributing to a more resilient agricultural ecosystem.

Differential responses of chili varieties grown under cadmium stress.

Heavy metal cadmium (Cd) naturally occurs in soil and is a hazardous trace contaminant for humans, animals, and plants. The main sources of Cd pollution in soil include overuse of phosphatic fertilizers, manure, sewage sludge, and aerial deposition. That's why an experiment was conducted to analyze the effect of Cd toxicity in Capsicum annuum L. by selecting its seven varieties: Hybrid, Desi, Sathra, G-916, BR-763, BG-912, and F1-9226. Cadmium was spiked in soil with four levels, i.e., (0, 3, 4, and 5 mg Cd kg- 1 of soil) for a week for homogeneous dispersion of heavy metal. Chili seeds were sown in compost-filled loamy soil, and 25-day-old seedlings were transplanted into Cd-spiked soil. Cadmium increasing concentration in soil decreased chili growth characteristics, total soluble sugars, total proteins, and amino acids. On the other hand, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were increased with the increasing concentration of Cd in almost all the varieties. Treatment 5 mg Cd/kg application caused - 197.39%, -138.78%, -60.77%, -17.84%, -16.34%, -11.82% and - 10.37% decrease of carotenoids level in chili V2 (Desi) followed by V4 (G-916), V1 (Hy7brid), V7 (F1-9226), V6 (BG-912), V5 (BR-763) and V3 (Sathra) as compared to their controls. The maximum flavonoids among varieties were in V5 (BR-763), followed by V6 (BG-912), V7 (F1-9226), V3 (Sathra) and V1 (Hybrid). Flavonoids content was decreased with - 37.63% (Sathra), -34.78% (Hybrid), -33.85% (G-916), -31.96% (F1-9226), -31.44% (Desi), -30.58% (BR-763), -22.88% (BG-912) as compared to their control at 5 mg Cd/kg soil stress. The maximum decrease in POD, SOD, and CAT was - 31.81%, -25.98%, -16.39% in chili variety V7 (F1-9226) at 5 mg Cd/kg stress compared to its control. At the same time, maximum APX content decrease was - 82.91%, followed by -80.16%, -65.19%, -40.31%, -30.14%, -10.34% and - 6.45% in V4 (G-916), V2 (Desi), V3 (Sathra), V6 (BG-912), V1 (Hybrid), V7 (F1-9226) and V5 (BR-763) at 5 mg Cd/kg treatment as compared to control chili plants. The highest CAT was found in 5 chili varieties except Desi and G-916. Desi and G-916 varieties. V5 (BR-763) and V6 (BG-912) were susceptible, while V1 (Hybrid), V3 (Sathra), and V7 (F1-9226) were with intermediate growth attributes against Cd stress. Our results suggest that Desi and G-916 chili varieties are Cd tolerant and can be grown on a large scale to mitigate Cd stress naturally.

Impact of cobalt and proline foliar application for alleviation of salinity stress in radish.

Salinity stress ranks among the most prevalent stress globally, contributing to soil deterioration. Its negative impacts on crop productivity stem from mechanisms such as osmotic stress, ion toxicity, and oxidative stress, all of which impede plant growth and yield. The effect of cobalt with proline on mitigating salinity impact in radish plants is still unclear. That's why the current study was conducted with aim to explore the impact of different levels of Co and proline on radish cultivated in salt affected soils. There were four levels of cobalt, i.e., (0, 10, 15 and 20 mg/L) applied as CoSO4 and two levels of proline (0 and 0.25 mM), which were applied as foliar. The treatments were applied in a complete randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Results showed that 20 CoSO4 with proline showed improvement in shoot length (∼ 20%), root length (∼ 23%), plant dry weight (∼ 19%), and plant fresh weight (∼ 41%) compared to control. The significant increase in chlorophyll, physiological and biochemical attributes of radish plants compared to the control confirms the efficacy of 20 CoSO4 in conjunction with 10 mg/L proline for mitigating salinity stress. In conclusion, application of cobalt with proline can help to alleviate salinity stress in radish plants. However, multiple location experiments with various levels of cobalt and proline still needs in-depth investigations to validate the current findings.

Enhancing maize resilience to drought stress: the synergistic impact of deashed biochar and carboxymethyl cellulose amendment.

Drought stress poses a significant challenge to maize production, leading to substantial harm to crop growth and yield due to the induction of oxidative stress. Deashed biochar (DAB) in combination with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) presents an effective approach for addressing this problem. DAB improves soil structure by increasing porosity and water retention and enhancing plant nutrient utilization efficiency. The CMC provides advantages to plants by enhancing soil water retention, improving soil structure, and increasing moisture availability to the plant roots. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of DAB and CMC amendments on maize under field capacity (70 FC) and drought stress. Six different treatments were implemented in this study, namely 0 DAB + 0CMC, 25 CMC, 0.5 DAB, 0.5 DAB + 25 CMC, 1 DAB, and 1 DAB + 25 CMC, each with six replications, and they were arranged according to a completely randomized design. Results showed that 1 DAB + 25 CMC caused significant enhancement in maize shoot fresh weight (24.53%), shoot dry weight (38.47%), shoot length (32.23%), root fresh weight (19.03%), root dry weight (87.50%) and root length (69.80%) over control under drought stress. A substantial increase in maize chlorophyll a (40.26%), chlorophyll b (26.92%), total chlorophyll (30.56%), photosynthetic rate (21.35%), transpiration rate (32.61%), and stomatal conductance (91.57%) under drought stress showed the efficiency of 1 DAB + 25 CMC treatment compared to the control. The enhancement in N, P, and K concentrations in both the root and shoot validated the effectiveness of the performance of the 1 DAB + 25 CMC treatment when compared to the control group under drought stress. In conclusion, it is recommended that the application of 1 DAB + 25 CMC serves as a beneficial amendment for alleviating drought stress in maize.

Modulations of wheat growth by selenium nanoparticles under salinity stress.

Salinity stress is a prominent environmental factor that presents obstacles to the growth and development of plants. When the soil contains high salt concentrations, the roots face difficulties in absorbing water, resulting in water deficits within the plant tissues. Consequently, plants may experience inhibited growth, decreased development, and a decline in biomass accumulation. The use of nanoparticles has become a popular amendment in recent times for the alleviation of salinity stress. The study investigated the biological approach for the preparation of Se nanoparticles (NP) and their effect on the growth of wheat plants under saline conditions. The leaf extract of lemon (Citrus limon L.) was used for the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs). The synthesized NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and were applied foliar in the range of 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1% on wheat plants. Results showed that 0.1% SeNP alone exhibited a significantly higher yield per plant, biomass per plant, 1000 grains weight, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll over the SS (salt stress) control. A significant decline in MDA and H2O2 also validated the effectiveness of 0.1% SeNP over the SS control.

Effect of carboxymethyl cellulose and gibberellic acid-enriched biochar on osmotic stress tolerance in cotton.

The deleterious impact of osmotic stress, induced by water deficit in arid and semi-arid regions, poses a formidable challenge to cotton production. To protect cotton farming in dry areas, it's crucial to create strong plans to increase soil water and reduce stress on plants. The carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), gibberellic acid (GA3) and biochar (BC) are individually found effective in mitigating osmotic stress. However, combine effect of CMC and GA3 with biochar on drought mitigation is still not studied in depth. The present study was carried out using a combination of GA3 and CMC with BC as amendments on cotton plants subjected to osmotic stress levels of 70 (70 OS) and 40 (40 OS). There were five treatment groups, namely: control (0% CMC-BC and 0% GA3-BC), 0.4%CMC-BC, 0.4%GA3-BC, 0.8%CMC-BC, and 0.8%GA3-BC. Each treatment was replicated five times with a completely randomized design (CRD). The results revealed that 0.8 GA3-BC led to increase in cotton shoot fresh weight (99.95%), shoot dry weight (95.70%), root fresh weight (73.13%), and root dry weight (95.74%) compared to the control group under osmotic stress. There was a significant enhancement in cotton chlorophyll a (23.77%), chlorophyll b (70.44%), and total chlorophyll (35.44%), the photosynthetic rate (90.77%), transpiration rate (174.44%), and internal CO2 concentration (57.99%) compared to the control group under the 40 OS stress. Thus 0.8GA3-BC can be potential amendment for reducing osmotic stress in cotton cultivation, enhancing agricultural resilience and productivity.

The role of strigolactone in alleviating salinity stress in chili pepper.

Salinity stress can significantly delay plant growth. It can disrupt water and nutrient uptake, reducing crop yields and poor plant health. The use of strigolactone can be an effective technique to overcome this issue. Strigolactone enhances plant growth by promoting root development and improvement in physiological attributes. The current pot study used strigolactone to amend chili under no salinity and salinity stress environments. There were four treatments, i.e., 0, 10µM strigolactone, 20µM strigolactone and 30µM strigolactone. All treatments were applied in four replications following a completely randomized design (CRD). Results showed that 20µM strigolactone caused a significant increase in chili plant height (21.07%), dry weight (33.60%), fruit length (19.24%), fruit girth (35.37%), and fruit yield (60.74%) compared to control under salinity stress. Significant enhancement in chili chlorophyll a (18.65%), chlorophyll b (43.52%), and total chlorophyll (25.09%) under salinity stress validated the effectiveness of 20µM strigolactone application as treatment over control. Furthermore, improvement in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentration in leaves confirmed the efficient functioning of 20µM strigolactone compared to other concentrations under salinity stress. The study concluded that 20µM strigolactone is recommended for mitigating salinity stress in chili plants. Growers are advised to apply 20µM strigolactone to enhance their chili production under salinity stress.

Alleviation of salinity stress by EDTA chelated-biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on maize via modulation of antioxidants activity and biochemical attributes.

Salinity stress adversely affects agricultural productivity by disrupting water uptake, causing nutrient imbalances, and leading to ion toxicity. Excessive salts in the soil hinder crops root growth and damage cellular functions, reducing photosynthetic capacity and inducing oxidative stress. Stomatal closure further limits carbon dioxide uptake that negatively impact plant growth. To ensure sustainable agriculture in salt-affected regions, it is essential to implement strategies like using biofertilizers (e.g. arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi = AMF) and activated carbon biochar. Both amendments can potentially mitigate the salinity stress by regulating antioxidants, gas exchange attributes and chlorophyll contents. The current study aims to explore the effect of EDTA-chelated biochar (ECB) with and without AMF on maize growth under salinity stress. Five levels of ECB (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8%) were applied, with and without AMF. Results showed that 0.8ECB + AMF caused significant enhancement in shoot length (~ 22%), shoot fresh weight (~ 15%), shoot dry weight (~ 51%), root length (~ 46%), root fresh weight (~ 26%), root dry weight (~ 27%) over the control (NoAMF + 0ECB). A significant enhancement in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and stomatal conductance was also observed in the condition 0.8ECB + AMF relative to control (NoAMF + 0ECB), further supporting the efficacy of such a combined treatment. Our results suggest that adding 0.8% ECB in soil with AMF inoculation on maize seeds can enhance maize production in saline soils, possibly via improvement in antioxidant activity, chlorophyll contents, gas exchange and morphological attributes.

Enhancing maize growth through the synergistic impact of potassium enrich biochar and spermidine.

Maize cultivated for dry grain covers approximately 197 million hectares globally, securing its position as the second most widely grown crop worldwide after wheat. Although spermidine and biochar individually showed positive impacts on maize production in existing literature, their combined effects on maize growth, physiology, nutrient uptake remain unclear and require further in-depth investigation. That's why a pot experiment was conducted on maize with spermidine and potassium enriched biochar (KBC) as treatments in Multan, Pakistan, during the year 2022. Four levels of spermidine (0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45mM) and two levels of potassium KBC (0 and 0.50%) were applied in completely randomized design (CRD). Results showed that 0.45 mM spermidine under 0.50% KBC caused significant enhancement in maize shoot length (11.30%), shoot fresh weight (25.78%), shoot dry weight (17.45%), root length (27.95%), root fresh weight (26.80%), and root dry weight (20.86%) over control. A significant increase in maize chlorophyll a (50.00%), chlorophyll b (40.40%), total chlorophyll (47.00%), photosynthetic rate (34.91%), transpiration rate (6.51%), and stomatal conductance (15.99%) compared to control under 0.50%KBC validate the potential of 0.45 mM spermidine. An increase in N, P, and K concentration in the root and shoot while decrease in electrolyte leakage and antioxidants also confirmed that the 0.45 mM spermidine performed more effectively with 0.50%KBC. In conclusion, 0.45 mM spermidine with 0.50%KBC is recommended for enhancing maize growth.

Effect of methyl jasmonate and GA3 on canola (Brassica napus L.) growth, antioxidants activity, and nutrient concentration cultivated in salt-affected soils.

Salinity stress is a significant challenge in agricultural production. When soil contains high salts, it can adversely affect plant growth and productivity due to the high concentration of soluble salts in the soil water. To overcome this issue, foliar applications of methyl jasmonate (MJ) and gibberellic acid (GA3) can be productive amendments. Both can potentially improve the plant's growth attributes and flowering, which are imperative in improving growth and yield. However, limited literature is available on their combined use in canola to mitigate salinity stress. That's why the current study investigates the impact of different levels of MJ (at concentrations of 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 mM MJ) and GA3 (0GA3 and 5 mg/L GA3) on canola cultivated in salt-affected soils. Applying all the treatments in four replicates. Results indicate that the application of 0.8 mM MJ with 5 mg/L GA3 significantly enhances shoot length (23.29%), shoot dry weight (24.77%), number of leaves per plant (24.93%), number of flowering branches (26.11%), chlorophyll a (31.44%), chlorophyll b (20.28%) and total chlorophyll (27.66%) and shoot total soluble carbohydrates (22.53%) over control. Treatment with 0.8 mM MJ and 5 mg/L GA3 resulted in a decrease in shoot proline (48.17%), MDA (81.41%), SOD (50.59%), POD (14.81%) while increase in N (10.38%), P (15.22%), and K (8.05%) compared to control in canola under salinity stress. In conclusion, 0.8 mM MJ + 5 mg/L GA3 can improve canola growth under salinity stress. More investigations are recommended at the field level to declare 0.8 mM MJ + 5 mg/L GA3 as the best amendment for alleviating salinity stress in different crops.

Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) through Ammonia volatilization mitigation and nitrogen management approaches.

Management of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is a critical factor that can improve maize (Zea mays L.) production. On the other hand, high volatilization losses of N also pollute the air. A field experiment was established using a silt clay soil to examine the effect of sulfur-coated urea and sulfur from gypsum on ammonia (NH3) emission, N use efficiency (NUE), and the productivity of maize crop under alkaline calcareous soil. The experimental design was a randomized complete block (RCBD) with seven treatments in three replicates: control with no N, urea150 alone (150 kg N ha-1), urea200 alone (200 kg N ha-1), urea150 + S (60 kg ha-1 S from gypsum), urea200 + S, SCU150 (sulfur-coated urea) and SCU200. The results showed that the urea150 + S and urea200 + S significantly reduced the total NH3 by (58 and 42%) as compared with the sole application urea200. The NH3 emission reduced further in the treatment with SCU150 and SCU200 by 74 and 65%, respectively, compared to the treatment with urea200. The maize plant biomass, grain yield, and total N uptake enhanced by 5-14%, 4-17%, and 7-13, respectively, in the treatments with urea150 + s and urea200 + S, relative to the treatment with urea200 alone. Biomass, grain yield, and total N uptake further increased significantly by 22-30%, 25-28%, and 26-31%, respectively, in the treatments with SCU150 and SCU200, relative to the treatment with urea200 alone. The applications of SCU150 enhanced the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by (72%) and SCU200 by (62%) respectively, compared with the sole application of urea200 alone. In conclusion, applying S-coated urea at a lower rate of 150 kg N ha-1 compared with a higher rate of 200 kg N ha-1 may be an effective way to reduce N fertilizer application rate and mitigate NH3 emission, improve NUE, and increase maize yield. More investigations are suggested under different soil textures and climatic conditions to declare S-coated urea at 150 kg N ha-1 as the best application rate for maize to enhance maize growth and yield.

Silicon-mediated resilience: Unveiling the protective role against combined cypermethrin and hymexazol phytotoxicity in tomato seedlings.

Insecticides and fungicides present potential threats to non-target crops, yet our comprehension of their combined phytotoxicity to plants is limited. Silicon (Si) has been acknowledged for its ability to induce crop tolerance to xenobiotic stresses. However, the specific role of Si in alleviating the cypermethrin (CYP) and hymexazol (HML) combined stress has not been thoroughly explored. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of Si in alleviating phytotoxic effects and elucidating the associated mechanisms of CYP and/or HML in tomato seedlings. The findings demonstrated that, compared to exposure to CYP or HML alone, the simultaneous exposure of CYP and HML significantly impeded seedling growth, resulting in more pronounced phytotoxic effects in tomato seedlings. Additionally, CYP and/or HML exposures diminished the content of photosynthetic pigments and induced oxidative stress in tomato seedlings. Pesticide exposure heightened the activity of both antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, increased proline and phenolic accumulation, and reduced thiols and ascorbate content in tomato seedlings. Applying Si (1 mM) to CYP- and/or HML-stressed seedlings alleviated pigment inhibition and oxidative damage by enhancing the activity of the pesticide metabolism system and secondary metabolism enzymes. Furthermore, Si stimulated the phenylpropanoid pathway by boosting phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity, as confirmed by the increased total phenolic content. Interestingly, the application of Si enhanced the thiols profile, emphasizing its crucial role in pesticide detoxification in plants. In conclusion, these results suggest that externally applying Si significantly alleviates the physio-biochemical level in tomato seedlings exposed to a combination of pesticides, introducing innovative strategies for fostering a sustainable agroecosystem.

Mitigation of heat stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) via regulation of physiological attributes using sodium nitroprusside and gibberellic acid.

Heat stress poses a threat to plants in arid and semiarid regions, leading to soil salinization and plant mortality. Researchers are exploring remedies to alleviate these effects, including using gibberellic acid (GA3) to regulate plant enzymes and antioxidants. Additionally, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is gaining attention, but its combined effect with GA3 requires further research. To address this gap, we investigated the effects of GA3 and SNP on plants under heat stress conditions. For that, wheat plants were cultivated under 40 °C for 6 h per day (15 days). Sodium nitroprusside (donor of NO and SNP) and gibberellic acid (GA3), respectively, with 100 µM and 5 µg/ml concentrations, were applied as foliar sprays at 10 days after sowing (DAS). Results showed that SNP + GA3 treatment had the highest plant height (4.48% increase), plant fresh weight (29.7%), plant dry weight (87%), photosynthetic rate (39.76%) and stomatal conductance (38.10%), and Rubisco (54.2%) compared to the control. Our findings indicate a significant increase in NO, H2O2, TBARS, SOD, POD, APX, proline, GR, and GB that greatly scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) for decreasing the adverse effect of stress. Such findings confirmed the efficacy of the combined treatment of SNP + GA3 under high-temperature stress compared to the solitary application of GA3, SNP, and control. In conclusion, using SNP + GA3 is a better strategy for mitigating heat stress in wheat than individual applications. Further research is recommended to validate the effectiveness of SNP + GA3 in other cereal crops.

Evaluation of potassium-enriched biochar and GA3 effectiveness for Improving wheat growth under drought stress.

Osmotic stress is a significant concern in agricultural crop production as it can harm crop growth, development, and productivity. Agriculture crops are particularly vulnerable to osmotic stress due to their reliance on water availability for various physiological processes. Organic amendments like activated carbon biochar and growth hormone gibberellic acid (GA3) can play a vital role. However, the time needed is to modify the established amendment to achieve better results. That's why the current study used potassium-enriched biochar (KBC = 0.75%) with and without GA3 (15 mg/L) as amendments under no osmotic stress and osmotic stress in wheat. Results showed that GA3 + KBC caused significant enhancement in germination (9.44%), shoot length (29.30%), root length (21.85%), shoot fresh weight (13.56%), shoot dry weight (68.38), root fresh weight (32.68%) and root dry weight (28.79%) of wheat over control under osmotic stress (OS). A significant enhancement in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll, while the decline in electrolyte leakage of wheat, also validated the effectiveness of GA3 + KBC over control in OS. In conclusion, GA3 + KBC is the most effective among all applied treatments for improving wheat growth attributes under no osmotic and osmotic stress. Further research is needed at the field level, focusing on various cereal crops, to establish GA3 + KBC as the optimal treatment for effectively mitigating the impacts of osmotic stress.

Genomic exploration of Sesuvium sesuvioides: comparative study and phylogenetic analysis within the order Caryophyllales from Cholistan desert, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: The Aizoaceae family's Sesuvium sesuvioides (Fenzl) Verdc is a medicinal species of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to determine the genomic features and phylogenetic position of the Sesuvium genus in the Aizoaceae family. We used the Illumina HiSeq2500 and paired-end sequencing to publish the complete chloroplast sequence of S. sesuvioides. RESULTS: The 155,849 bp length cp genome sequence of S. sesuvioides has a 36.8% GC content. The Leucine codon has the greatest codon use (10.6%), 81 simple sequence repetitions of 19 kinds, and 79 oligonucleotide repeats. We investigated the phylogeny of the order Caryophyllales' 27 species from 23 families and 25 distinct genera. The maximum likelihood tree indicated Sesuvium as a monophyletic genus, and sister to Tetragonia. A comparison of S. sesuvioides, with Sesuvium portulacastrum, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, Mesembryanthemum cordifolium, and Tetragonia tetragonoides was performed using the NCBI platform. In the comparative investigation of genomes, all five genera revealed comparable cp genome structure, gene number and composition. All five species lacked the rps15 gene and the rpl2 intron. In most comparisons with S. sesuvioides, transition substitutions (Ts) were more frequent than transversion substitutions (Tv), producing Ts/Tv ratios larger than one, and the Ka/Ks ratio was lower than one. We determined ten highly polymorphic regions, comprising rpl22, rpl32-trnL-UAG, trnD-GUC-trnY-GUA, trnE-UUC-trnT-GGU, trnK-UUU-rps16, trnM-CAU-atpE, trnH-GUG-psbA, psaJ-rpl33, rps4-trnT-UGU, and trnF-GAA-ndhJ. CONCLUSION: The whole S. sesuvioides chloroplast will be examined as a resource for in-depth taxonomic research of the genus when more Sesuvium and Aizoaceae species are sequenced in the future. The chloroplast genomes of the Aizoaceae family are well preserved, with little alterations, indicating the family's monophyletic origin. This study's highly polymorphic regions could be utilized to build realistic and low-cost molecular markers for resolving taxonomic discrepancies, new species identification, and finding evolutionary links among Aizoaceae species. To properly comprehend the evolution of the Aizoaceae family, further species need to be sequenced.

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ectoine (ECT) impacts with and without AMF on antioxidants, gas exchange attributes and nutrients of cotton cultivated in salt affected soil.

Salinity stress is one of the major hurdles in agriculture which adversely affects crop production. It can cause osmotic imbalance, ion toxicity that disrupts essential nutrient balance, impaired nutrient uptake, stunted growth, increased oxidative stress, altered metabolism, and diminished crop yield and quality. However, foliar application of osmoprotectant is becoming popular to resolve this issue in crops. These osmoprotectants regulate the cellular osmotic balance and protect plants from the detrimental effects of high salt concentrations. Furthermore, the role of arbuscular mycorrhizae (AMF) is also established in this regard. These AMF effectively reduce the salinity negative effects by improving the essential nutrient balance via the promotion of root growth. That's why keeping in mind the effectiveness of osmoprotectants current study was conducted on cotton. Total of six levels of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA = 0 mM, 0. 5 mM, and 1 mM) and ectoine (ECT = 0 mM, 0.25 mM, and 0.5 mM) were applied as treatments in 3 replications. Results showed that 0.5 mM γ-Aminobutyric acid and ectoine performed significantly best for the improvement in cotton growth attributes. It also caused significant enhancement in K and Ca contents of the leaf, stem, bur, and seeds compared to the control. Furthermore, 0.5 mM γ-Aminobutyric acid and ectoine also caused a significant decline in Cl and Na contents of leaf, stem, bur, and seeds of cotton compared to control under salinity stress. A significant enhancement in chlorophyll contents, gas exchange attributes, and decline in electrolyte leakage validated the effectiveness of 0.5 mM γ-Aminobutyric acid and ectoine over control. In conclusion, 0.5 mM γ-Aminobutyric acid and ectoine have the potential to mitigate the salinity stress in cotton.

Modulation of sunflower growth via regulation of antioxidants, oil content and gas exchange by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and quantum dot biochar under chromium stress.

Chromium (Cr) toxicity significantly threatens sunflower growth and productivity by interfering with enzymatic activity and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Zinc quantum dot biochar (ZQDB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have become popular to resolve this issue. AMF can facilitate root growth, while biochar tends to minimize Cr mobility in soil. The current study aimed to explore AMF and ZQDB combined effects on sunflower plants in response to Cr toxicity. Four treatments were applied, i.e. NoAMF + NoZQDB, AMF + 0.40%ZQDB, AMF + 0.80%ZQDB, and AMF + 1.20%ZQDB, under different stress levels of Cr, i.e. no Cr (control), 150 and 200 mg Cr/kg soil. Results showed that AMF + 1.20%ZQDB was the treatment that caused the greatest improvement in plant height, stem diameter, head diameter, number of leaves per plant, achenes per head, 1000 achenes weight, achene yield, biological yield, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and oleic acid, relative to the condition NoAMF + No ZQDB at 200 mg Cr/kg soil. A significant decline in peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) while improvement in ascorbate peroxidase (APx), oil content, and protein content further supported the effectiveness of AMF + 1.20%ZQDB against Cr toxicity. Our results suggest that the treatment AMF + 1.20%ZQDB can efficiently alleviate Cr stress in sunflowers.

The chloroplast genome of Farsetia hamiltonii Royle, phylogenetic analysis, and comparative study with other members of Clade C of Brassicaceae.

BACKGROUND: Farsetia hamiltonii Royle is a medicinally important annual plant from the Cholistan desert that belongs to the tribe Anastaticeae and clade C of the Brassicaceae family. We provide the entire chloroplast sequence of F.hamiltonii, obtained using the Illumina HiSeq2500 and paired-end sequencing. We compared F. hamiltonii to nine other clade C species, including Farsetia occidentalis, Lobularia libyca, Notoceras bicorne, Parolinia ornata, Morettia canescens, Cochlearia borzaeana, Megacarpaea polyandra, Biscutella laevigata, and Iberis amara. We conducted phylogenetic research on the 22 Brassicaceae species, which included members from 17 tribes and six clades. RESULTS: The chloroplast genome sequence of F.hamiltonii of 154,802 bp sizes with 36.30% GC content and have a typical structure comprised of a Large Single Copy (LSC) of 83,906 bp, a Small Single Copy (SSC) of 17,988 bp, and two copies of Inverted Repeats (IRs) of 26,454 bp. The genomes of F. hamiltonii and F. occidentalis show shared amino acid frequencies and codon use, RNA editing sites, simple sequence repeats, and oligonucleotide repeats. The maximum likelihood tree revealed Farsetia as a monophyletic genus, closely linked to Morettia, with a bootstrap score of 100. The rate of transversion substitutions (Tv) was higher than the rate of transition substitutions (Ts), resulting in Ts/Tv less than one in all comparisons with F. hamiltonii, indicating that the species are closely related. The rate of synonymous substitutions (Ks) was greater than non-synonymous substitutions (Ka) in all comparisons with F. hamiltonii, with a Ka/Ks ratio smaller than one, indicating that genes underwent purifying selection. Low nucleotide diversity values range from 0.00085 to 0.08516, and IR regions comprise comparable genes on junctions with minimal change, supporting the conserved status of the selected chloroplast genomes of the clade C of the Brassicaceae family. We identified ten polymorphic regions, including rps8-rpl14, rps15-ycf1, ndhG-ndhI, psbK-psbI, ccsA-ndhD, rpl36-rps8, petA-psbJ, ndhF-rpl32, psaJ-rpl3, and ycf1 that might be exploited to construct genuine and inexpensive to solve taxonomic discrepancy and understand phylogenetic relationship amongst Brassicaceae species. CONCLUSION: The entire chloroplast sequencing of F. hamiltonii sheds light on the divergence of genic chloroplast sequences among members of the clade C. When other Farsetia species are sequenced in the future, the full F. hamiltonii chloroplast will be used as a source for comprehensive taxonomical investigations of the genus. The comparison of F. hamiltonii and other clade C species adds new information to the phylogenetic data and evolutionary processes of the clade. The results of this study will also provide further molecular uses of clade C chloroplasts for possible plant genetic modifications and will help recognise more Brassicaceae family species.

Cloning and characterization of Aiia, an acylhomoserine lactonase from Bacillus cereus RC1 to control soft rot causing pathogen Lelliottia amnigena RCE.

Bacterial pathogenesis-associated characteristics such as biofilm formation, synthesis of hydrolyzing enzymes, and toxins are regulated by Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHLs), small peptides and diffusing signal factors (DSF). Lelliottia amnigena is gram negative bacteria and its pathogenicity is regulated by the luxR and luxI class of quorum sensing. The signaling molecules and their concentrations are essential for the virulence of the pathogenic bacterium. To suppresses the pathogenicity; the concentration of signalling molecules must be controlled or degraded. The lactonase have the ability to hydrolyze lactones of different chain length. The present study deals with a newer approach to control the pathogenesis of Lelliottia amnigena through isolation and characterization of Aiia lactonase from Bacillus cereus RC1. Aiia lactonase specific primers were used to amplify the gene, and the sequence thus obtained was submitted to the Genbank database under accession # OK643884.1. The gene was cloned in pBE-S shuttle vector and transformed in the recombinant host. The expressed and purified protein had a molecular weight of 28.00 KDa and exhibited its optimum activity at 37℃ by inhibiting the violacein pigment of the monitor strain Chromobacterium violaceum MTCC 2656. The proteinaceous nature of the purified molecule was confirmed by incubating it in the presence of proteinase K for 1 h. The activity of the pathogenesis-related protein, polygalacturonase was drastically reduced in the presence of the purified Aiia protein. The purified protein also showed a zone of inhibition when plated together with Lelliottia amnigena RCE (MZ712952.1). Searches of the Conserved Domain Database suggested that this protein belonged to the Metallo-beta-lactamase superfamily and is closely related to Aiia from B. thuringiensis serovar kurstaki. Modeling of the protein structure was done using I-TASSER; a C-score of 0.55 suggested that the model was of good quality. To be used commercially, this recombinant protein needs to be purified at an industrial scale; it can then be used to repress the growth of soft rot causing bacteria in horticultural crops during their storage period.

Spatial responses of soil carbon stocks, total nitrogen, and microbial indices to post-wildfire in the Mediterranean red pine forest.

Wildfire is a key ecological event that alters vegetation and soil quality attributes including biochemical attributes at spatial scale. This knowledge can provide insights into the development of better rehabilitation or restoration strategies that depend on the ecological dynamics of vegetation, fungi, and animals. The present study aimed to understand the causes and consequences of spatial variability of soil organic carbon, microbial biomass C concentrations, and soil quality indices as impacted by wildfire in a red pine forest. This study was conducted using kriging and inverse distance neighborhood similarity (IDW) interpolations methods. The carbon stocks were significantly (P = 0.002) higher in burned areas compared to those of unburned areas by 255% whereas microbial biomass carbon and microbial respiration were significantly (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.02) lower in burned areas by 66% and 90%, The Pearson's correlation analysis showed that carbon stocks were positively correlated with pH (0.61), total nitrogen (0.60) and ash quantity (0.41), but negatively correlated with microbial biomass carbon (-0.46) and nitrogen (-0.61), and microbial respiration (-0.48). The IDW interpolation method better-predicted pH, bulk density, and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen compared to kriging interpolation, whereas the kriging interpolation method was better than IDW interpolation for the other studied soil properties. We concluded that pH, EC, SOC, C/N, MR, MBC/SOC, and MBC/MBN can be reliable indicators to monitor the effect of wildfire on forest soils. The wildfire event increased soil carbon stocks, TN, pH, and qCO2, but decreased MBC and MBN.